


Breathe In, Breathe Out

by Terrorbyrd



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gender-Neutral Runner Five, Other, POV Second Person, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terrorbyrd/pseuds/Terrorbyrd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day in, day out, Runner Five and Runner Eight learn to build trust. (Season 1 spoilers!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe In, Breathe Out

**Author's Note:**

> For @actual-runner5 on Tumblr, who wanted a montage of 5 training with 8 (and falling in love in the process). Sorry it's not quite "Eye of the Tiger!"

_“Hey there! I’m Runner Eight, Sara Smith. How are you doing? Ready to misdirect some zombies?”_

1\. 

The noisemaker on your shoulders sets the rhythm as you follow Runner Eight out the gates of Abel Township. She takes a loping gait from the get-go, and you tail her as closely as you can, your feet crunching against the gravel. Your breathing synchronises, as do your footsteps when she slows down to allow you to draw alongside.

2.

 _Bang!_ Runner Eight is very calm even as zombies approach arm's reach. Unnervingly calm. Luckily she’s also got a steady hand, and dispatches the two zombies with no apparent effort. She pauses just long enough to take aim both times, and the two of you continue away from the township, her doing enough talking for the both of you. You just focus on your breathing.

3.

Runner Eight is chipper as you do your cooldowns and stretches together. You find it jarring, her friendly veneer over top her blatant suspicions. But you also find it a relief, her honesty telling you exactly where you stand. And you’re grateful for the knowledge that she would defend you without hesitation despite her suspicions. You respect that. You keep these thoughts to yourself as she runs you through her standard cooldown, showing you the most important stretches to keep you limber. Her body goes through the motions smoothly, lean muscles settling into all the positions with familiar ease. Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out.

4.

After Eight finds your ID, you settle into a comfortable working relationship. Her suspicious may have passed, but her blunt pragmatism remains, which you appreciate. Most unscheduled mornings find the two of you training on the track. At first you run your laps and drills by yourself, accompanied by nothing but the sound of your own steady breathing, but some mornings Eight’ll pull up to you with a suggestion or a pointer. This happens more and more frequently until you realize that at some point she has begun to coach in earnest, though you can’t pinpoint when this began. You wonder what she gets out of it, beyond the communal benefit all of Abel gets from skilled runners. You’re afraid to ask.

5.

Condensation forms and fades with every breath as you pace yourself against Eight, your trainers kicking off the pavement together. In the early morning light your shadows stretch drawn-out before you on the track. She leads by example, starting with with slow laps interspersed with sprints. Everything she has you do, she does as well, sometimes wordlessly, but sometimes with encouragement as you waver. You do sit-ups facing each other, your ankles braced against hers. She demonstrates correct form at the weights bench, and as you spot her, you unconsciously exhale and inhale in time with her. And as you hold a plank shoulder-to-shoulder with her, trembling with the effort and listening to her voice count down, you wonder if this new sense of comradery is mutual. 

6.

The day you first see Eight smile is the day you realize that she’s finally let go of all her mistrust. Though she’s always been friendly, for a certain value of “friendly,” she had maintained a polite, almost professional distance even after recovering your ID. Now it seems like she can’t keep from smiling, can’t stop her eyes crinkling up at the corners even as her mouth mostly stays set firm. Her eyes smile wickedly as she challenges, almost taunts, you into doing another set of push-ups. As you complete each one, she knocks out a matching one of her own, never looking away, smile never fading. One morning she smirks down at you from the climbing wall after she beats you to the top; another day, on a perimeter check through the forest around Abel, you actually hear her laughing with the simple joy of the run. You watch her run through the dappled light under the trees, and feel the breeze against your skin, listen as her laughter rises up to join the birdsong. Back at the gates, she turns and beams at you, her breath coming a little fast, and it’s infectious. You can’t help but grin back, and together you stand facing the world as you catch your breath, the gates rising behind you.

7\. 

Your breaths come in harsh gasps as you follow Eight up the hill, pushing off with your toes even as your legs burn. The horror going on elsewhere resounds in your head as you hear the other runners panic, but you need to tune them out and focus on Sam and Eight’s calming voices. You make it to the top and bend over panting, listening to the discussion going on between Sam and Eight with increasing alarm. Zombies cooperating? You dutifully look through the binoculars that Eight hands you, and you scan the landscape until you find the zombies she referred to. You freeze. When she asks you for confirmation, you slowly meet her eyes, and for the first time in your memory, she looks scared. And then she grabs you by the hand and you’re running before the shocks of the first explosion pass.

8.

Eight’s talking urgently. You nod. You understand. As soon as you promise to tell Janine, Eight pulls you in, squeezes you so tight that your breaths come in ragged. You can feel her heart pounding against your chest - or is it your own? She’s shaking a little, and this scares you more than anything she’s just said. But her voice in your ear is as steady as ever.

_“You were always a good runner, Five.”_

And suddenly the pressure’s gone, the weight and warmth of her gone, and she’s shoving you roughly away. Eight - no, _Sara_ \- is yelling at you.

_“Run, now! Don’t stop!”_

You run.


End file.
